What You Leave Behind

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
"What You Leave Behind"
Episode no.	175-176
Prod. code	575-576
Airdate	June 2, 1999
Writer(s)	Ira Steven Behr Hans Beimler
Director	Allan Kroeker
Guest star(s)	Rosalind Chao Jeffrey Combs Salome Jens Penny Johnson Andrew Robinson Casey Biggs Marc Alaimo Aron Eisenberg J.G. Hertzler Barry Jenner Deborah Lacey Julianna McCarthy Hana Hatae Mel Johnson, Jr. Greg Ellis Cyndi Pass James Darren Louise Fletcher
Year	2375
Stardate	Not stated
Episode chronology
Previous	"The Dogs of War"
Next	"N/A Series finale"

What You Leave Behind is the final episode of the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Much of the episode is set on Cardassia Prime, the home world of the Cardassians and the headquarters of the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant. Starfleet and other powers joined together to launch an attack on the Dominion on Cardassia Prime.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

On Deep Space Nine, Bashir wakes up with Ezri, O'Brien talks with his family about leaving the station after the war, and Sisko comforts a pregnant, nauseated Kasidy. It is the morning of the day the crew will leave for the final push in the war. While heading for battle on the Defiant, Sisko receives a vision of his prophet-mother Sarah. She claims that his most important challenge is "not before you, but behind you." The battle between the Jem'Hadar/Breen/Cardassian fleet and Starfleet/Klingon/Romulan fleet begins. Kira, Garak, and Damar, hiding on Cardassia Prime as insurgents, incite a worker revolt and power outage, which cuts off communication between the Dominion Fleet and the command center housing Weyoun and the diseased Founder. In retaliation, the Jem'Hadar wipe out an entire Cardassian city.

The insurgents are about to be executed by a team of Jem'Hadar and Cardassian soldiers, but are saved when the Cardassians turn on them in revenge. Midway through the space battle, the Cardassian ships also switch sides, which Weyoun discovers when communications are restored. As an ultimate retaliation, the Founder orders the eradication of the Cardassian race, and the Jem'Hadar begin leveling the capital. Kira and the insurgents storm the command center, capture the Founder, and kill Weyoun, but Damar is killed. Though the Dominion's Alpha Quadrant forces are facing defeat, the Founder will not surrender, presumably to inflict so much damage that the Alpha Quadrant powers will be deterred from attacking the Dominion.

Sisko prepares for a costly assault on Cardassia Prime. Odo beams to the command center and links with the Founder, curing her disease. She orders her forces to surrender. Odo explains to Kira that he has agreed to cure the other Founders, but needs to join them permanently, to eventually persuade them to trust solids instead of dominating them. Bashir says farewell to Garak, who stays to help rebuild Cardassia. Garak is skeptical that they will ever meet again, because they live "in uncertain times."

Meanwhile on Bajor, Dukat, still disguised as a Bajoran, and Kai Winn, who has turned against the Prophets, trek to the fire caves with an ancient book that will release the Pah Wraiths. After she makes them appear around a chasm, Winn poisons Dukat, but he is resurrected by the Pah-Wraiths and restored to his Cardassian appearance.

A peace treaty is signed on DS9, and the crew celebrates in Vic's Lounge. However, in the middle of dancing with Kasidy, Sisko suddenly realizes he must go to the fire caves. He arrives and attacks Dukat, but is subdued by Dukat's new godlike powers. Winn tells Sisko to destroy the book, and Dukat kills her. Sisko topples Dukat and they and the book fall into the fiery chasm. Suddenly finding himself in the Celestial Temple, Sisko is told by Sarah that his task is complete, and it is time for him to rest with the Prophets. The DS9 crew is puzzled by Sisko's disappearance until he comes to Kasidy in a vision, telling her that he has moved on to a new stage of his life. He assures her he will return, but because of his nonlinear nature, it could be in a year, or yesterday.

The crew splits up: O'Brien will teach at Starfleet Academy, Odo will join the Founders, and Worf will join Martok by becoming ambassador to the Klingon homeworld. Montages highlight the relationships between: O'Brien and Bashir, Ezri and Worf, Kira and Odo, Sisko and Jake, and Quark and everybody. Odo refuses to give Quark a fond farewell, but Quark is pleased anyway. Kira takes him to the Founder's planet, where he sinks into the Link and cures the disease. Bashir and Ezri discuss their future relationship together. Nog discusses his promotion with new station commander Kira before she goes to Quark's to shut down his betting ring on the new Kai. She finds Jake on the promenade, and they both look out as the wormhole opens, knowing their loved ones may never return through it.

[edit] Trivia

Jadzia Dax was notably absent from the remembrances of the various crew members on board the station. This was because Terry Farrell, upset over an image of her being used earlier in the 7th season without permission, refused to allow scenes with her to be shown in the final episode.

The words quoted at the surrender ceremony by Admiral Ross were first spoken by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur at the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay in 1945.

As noted in the DS9 Companion, Avery Brooks suggested that the ending of the episode be changed so that it did not appear that he was abandoning the pregnant Kassidy, and Jake.

Ira Behr has suggested an option for the show's ending would have been to have made the whole show just a dream in the mind of Benny Russell, from the episode Far Beyond the Stars, however the impact that would have had on the whole Star Trek franchise made that completely impossible.

Ira Behr stated in a DVD Feature that one possible ending he felt was 'perfect' was that Sisko turns into a Prophet, and becomes a 'God'. He justified this by saying it was 'perfect on so many levels', both in terms of the character and because Star Trek fans practically worship the Captains as Gods.